1ST WEEK ASSIGNMENT FOR CLASS 1
Please read Feng Youlan's "The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy", pages 1-10 and write your answers to these questions by replying to the teachers' questioning post.
1. What misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy does Prof. Feng Youlan bring up in the article?
2. What is the spirit of Chinese philosophy according to Feng?
3. How do you comment on Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy?
1.
1)The place which philosophy has occupied in Chinese civilization has been comparable to that of religion in other civilizations.
(2) Confucianism, Taoism , and Buddhism are three religions of Chinese people. The Four Books have been the Bible of Chinese people.
(3) Chinese people is less concerned about religion. Chinese people don't crave for what is beyond the present actual world since they don't regard religion as super-moral value.
(4)Chinese pholosophy is a this-word pholosophy.
2.
The spirit of Chines philosophy is "sageliness within and kinglines without".
The highest achievement of which any kind of man is capable is being a sage.The highest achievement of being a sage is the identification if an individual with the universe. The task of Chines philosophy is to accomplish the synthesis out of antithesis such as the realism and idealism. According to Chinese philosophy, the man who accomolishes synthesis, not only in mind but also in deed,is the sage.
The task of philosophy is to enable man to develop the character of"sageliness within and kingliness without."
3.Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy shows some kind of wisdom and I agree with Pro Feng.
(1)"Philosophy is not the learning of learning but the learning of Tao" firstly illustrates the importance of elevating one's mind rather than just stopping at the level of accumulating knowledge and facts. In reality, evryone needs to think about thinking itself.
(2)"sageliness within and kingliness without" also outflows wisdom. "self-cultivating; family-regulating;state-ordering;then the land great governed." is widespread in China. self-cultivation ranks fisrt in both thoughts, which shows that in Chinese philosophy, spiritual cultivation counts. But Feng deems that it's immaterial for a sage to be the king, and I totally agree with him. "Kingliness without " does't mean that one should get clear of politics. But it means that one does not limit his way of acting as a civilization of society and universe within being a governor of the government. When needed, he will stand out to be the king, but he will never feel depressed for not being needed as a king. A true sage such as Confucius was also glad to deal with social affairs in human relations and regard it as the essence of development of the perfection of his personality.
(3) I also agree with Feng's "The task of Chinese philosophy is to accomplish the synthesis out of antithesis" . There are many seemingly appropriate standards for many things. These standards may based on various and even contradictory dimensions . But we cannot regard one as right but the other as wrong. Considering humanity and other special conditions, binary opposition is not plausible. Thus, we should accomplish the synthesis out of antithesis.
1. Misunderstanding
(1) Chinese philosophies like Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are all religions.
(2) Chinese philosophy is only a this-world philosophy, which has led Chinese people far from the spiritual world.
2. Spirit
According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is ''sageliness within and kingkiness without'', which means that we Chinese people apply philosophical ideas to daily behaviors. Therefore we can truly know as well as experience philosophy at the same time.
3. My Comment
First of all, I sincerely appreciate Mr.Feng's explaining the profound in simple terms and clear structure.
The first part, Place of Philosophy in Chinese Civilization, has illustrated well that philosophy is in the place between science and religion, which is similar to Bertrand Russel's "Philosophy, in my understanding of the world, is something that is between theology and science.", with explanation of three fundamental philosophy of China-- Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, and the function of them. Personally, I am especially fond of his "Fortunately, however, besides religion there is philosophy, which provides man with an access to the higher values."
In the second part, Problem and Spirit of Chinese Philosophy, Feng subtly grasped the viewpoints of other-worldliness and this-wordiness to clarify Chinese philosophy's spirit, "sageliness within and kingliness without", which is similar to Plato's philosopher-king. The comparison of Western and Eastern philosophy is a stroke of genius.
1. Misunderstanding
①Prof. Feng said that the Four Books have been the Bible of the Chinese people. Although he added that there is no mention of heaven or hell in the Four Books, it may also leave a superficial mislead to Westerners that the Four Books contain some religion.
②He brought up an opinion that Chinese philosophy's function is not the increase of positive knowledge but the elevation of the mind. This may also result in a misunderstanding that Chinese philosophy does not care about positive knowledge.
③Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy.
2. According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world, which can be described as one of "sageliness within and kingliness without".
3. My comment
Generally speaking, Prof. Feng had given a clearer description and interpretation of Chinese philosophy to Westerners at that time, by mentioning and comparing both Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy. But there are also some misunderstandings. These may have been influenced by the era and environment at that time.
Besides, some opinions lack proof. For example, he said that the Chinese people take even their religion philosophically, but there are no detailed examples to prove in the following text.
In short, Prof. Feng's interpretation is of great significance to both Westerners and Chinese people, and for the current research and dissemination of Chinese philosophy, it is still necessary to continue moving forward.
1. From the text, the primary misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy that Prof. Feng addresses is the belief that it's purely practical or this worldly.
Some might believe that Chinese philosophy concerns itself only with worldly, practical affairs, devoid of any spiritual or metaphysical considerations. Feng clarifies that Chinese philosophy is not just this-worldly; it also touches upon the other-worldly. Thus, it synthesizes the tangible and the intangible, the practical and the spiritual.
2. According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is a synthesis of contrasts: this-worldliness and other-worldliness, realism and idealism. Chinese philosophy doesn't negate these dualities but brings them into a harmonious whole. At its core, the spirit of Chinese philosophy aims for a synthesis of being deeply grounded in reality, while also striving for higher ideals. This synthesis is epitomized in the character of the sage who embodies "sageliness within and kingliness without." Such a character demonstrates both deep inner wisdom and a practical, societal engagement.
2. Feng's interpretation of Chinese philosophy, as presented in the provided text, offers a refreshing and holistic view. His emphasis on synthesis serves as a rebuttal to reductionist perspectives, painting a more comprehensive and nuanced picture of Chinese thought. By drawing parallels with other philosophical traditions, like references to Socrates and Plato, Feng bridges the gap between Eastern and Western philosophies, emphasizing the universality of certain philosophical pursuits. His insistence on the lived experience of Chinese philosophy — that it's not just about intellectual understanding but also about embodying its principles — underlines the integrative nature of this philosophy. Feng's approach seems to be both analytical and experiential, offering a multi-dimensional view of Chinese philosophical traditions.
1. What misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy does Prof. Feng Youlan bring up in the article?
* The western sinologists mistakenly reckoned Chinese philosophy, which mainly comprising three schools which are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism as the counterparts of their religions. One of the causes of this is their neglection of the disparity between Taoism and Tao chia, also Buddhism and Fo Chia. Another reason for their misunderstanding is their religion-oreinted mindset.
2. What is the spirit of Chinese philosophy according to Feng?
* Striving for the reconciliation and synthesis between this-worldly philosophy and other-worldly one, which are in two extremes.
3. How do you comment on Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy?
* Objective mindset: evading hasty conclusion and jumping on the bandwagon. When delving into the other-worldly philosophy and this-wordly philosophy, Feng insightfully believe Chinese philosophy is a synthesis of them.
* Fully supported standpoints. Whenever stating a viewpoint from oneside, a valid quotation or supporting detail is presented, not only elaborating the argument crystal clear, but also being informative.
* Clarifying the problems by tracing intrinsic similarities. Although Chinese philosophy is dominated by this-worldly and other wordly schools, their radical intention is pointed out——the involvement of political ideology.
1. Chinese philosophy in Chinese civilization has been comparable to the religion in other civilizations. Some Westerners regard Confucianism as a religion in China.
2. The spirit of Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world, and it goes straight to what antedated Heaven, which means it is at the same time both extremely idealistic and extremely realistic, and very practical. The Chinese philosophy emphasizes and tries to develop the spirit of “sageness within and kingliness without”, which means the person accomplishes spiritual cultivation and functions in society at the same time.
3. From my perspective, Feng’s interpretation of Chinese philosophy is almost complete as he tried to interpret it from different angles considering Chinese history as well. He tries to distinguish philosophy and religion by listing their differences in detail. And I think he gets to the core nature of Chinese philosophy by pointing out the spiritual basis of Chinese civilization—ethics. In the following passage, when he discusses the spirit of Chinese philosophy, the history of ancient China mentioned by him also helps us understand our national culture or philosophy better.
1. What misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy does Prof. Feng Youlan bring up in the article?
2. What is the spirit of Chinese philosophy according to Feng?
1.Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world .
2.The problem Chinese philosophy attempts to solve is to unify these antitheses (this - worldliness and other - worldliness) into a single joint synthesis.
(This-worldliness and other-worldliness stand in contrast to each other as do realism and idealism.)
3.The study of Chinese philosophy is an attempt to acquire knowledge and develop a of character “the Tao of sageliness within and kingliness without”.
(This is because ethics , politics , reflective thinking , and knowledge were unified in the philosopher ; in him , knowledge and virtue were one and inseparable.)
4.The highest achievement of a sage is the identification of the individual with the universe .The daily task of dealing with social affairs in human relations is not something alien to the sage .
5.Philosophy must be inseparable from political thought .
(Tao ( Way ) of sageliness within and kingliness without)
1、To the westerner, Confucianism is a religion. And people have been accustomed to say that there are three religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. But Confucianism isn't a kind of religion. Taoism and Buddhism both have different meaning when they are taken religiously and philosophically.
Chinese philosophy is directly or indirectly concerned with government and ethics, and is only a this-world philosophy.
2、According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is "trying to solve the problem that how to accomplish a synthesis out of these antitheses." It is both of this world and of the other world.
3、My comment:
The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy is part of Mr. Feng's lecture on the history of Chinese philosophy taught in the United States, thanks to his meticulous and well-structured lectures that gave Westerners an introduction to understanding Chinese philosophy. Mr. Feng explained the unique philosophy of China in as much detail as possible from three aspects: the status of philosophy in China, the problems and spirit of Chinese philosophy, and the two difficulties often encountered by Western students (language barrier, special way of thinking), so as to eliminate Western misunderstanding of Chinese philosophy.
After reading the article, I sincerely agree with Mr. Feng's statement that "The task of Chinese philosophy is to accomplish a synthesis out of these antitheses." Unlike Western philosophy who generally separates and opposes the ontological world and the phenomenal world. The Western philosophy mentioned in the class is based on the theory of binary opposites.
Mr. Feng dissected the spirit of Chinese philosophy through a step-by-step approach. First, in order to understand this spirit, it is said to figure out what a person's highest possible achievement is. Chinese philosophy holds that the man who accomplishes this synthesis, not only in theory but also in deecl, is the sage. And the "sageliness within and kingkiness with out" is the one who has the highest spiritual attainment can theoretically be king. This achieves the unity of this-worldness and other-worldness. The task of philosophy is to make man have this personality of ''sageliness within and kingkiness with out'', as I understand it, to enable him to unify himself. Seeking to solve the problem of accomplishing a synthesis out of these antitheses is the spirit of Chinese philosophy.
3. How do you comment on Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy?
1.First refute the theory and then establish the theory.
(First, he lists many misunderstandings of Chinese philosophy, and then refuted them one by one. For example, in view of the misunderstanding of Confucianism as a religion, the author expounds the universe of thought and explains the meaning of religion, thus explaining that Confucianism is not a religion.)
2.Sufficient argument.
(It cites points from Hui Shih, Lao-tzu, Confucius, Mencius etc.)
3.Comprehensive expression.
(It involves expositions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism)
4.Objective viewpoint.
(Although it is elaborated from the perspective of Chinese, it also analyses the views of many foreign experts, and the process of coming to the conclusions is very objective.)
In all kinds of misunderstandings, I feel the limitations and arrogance of westerners. They take religion as the supreme belief and cannot jump out of its framework. What they were proud of had actually plunged Europe into endless war and division. From the bloody crusades to the modern missionaries to China, what they brought were trampling and might instead of prosperity and peace.
Due to different geographical and political conditions, the world has developed various civilizations, each of which has its own significance. The Chinese are not a nation with "no faith" in the eyes of Westerners. Mr.Feng's exposition of Chinese philosophy clarified the misunderstanding, one-sided view of Chinese philosophy, and accurately discussed the ideal personality, way of life and pursuit realm of Chinese philosophy.
1, Misunderstanding: they think Chinese philosophy is the equivalent of religion.
2, spirit of Chinese philosophy: it lies between this-worldliness and other-worldliness which avoids total realism and idealism. Chinese philosophy advocates that “sageliness within and kingliness without”. That is to say, people need not only cultivate his spirit world, but also concern himself with the business of the world. If that’s the case, he’s eligible to be called as sage, which is also the task of philosophy.
A big outstanding feature of Chinese philosophy spirit is his relation with politics. “Kingliness without without”, to some extent, means that a sage must sacrifice himself for running the state events.
3, comment: Feng’s interpretation can be acclaimed as accurate, which shows his comparatively comprehensive understanding of china’s historical background. In this paper, he uses a series of comparisons to make clear of different concepts.
The fist lies in his comparison religion with philosophy. Because many westerners mistake Chinese philosophy as religion, he firstly expounds the two distinctively different concepts. By doing so, he gives perfect reasons that Confucianism should fall into the philosophy category, which is well-organized and indisputable.
The second is his demonstartion of spirit of Chinese philosophy. At the very first, he pointed out two different kinds of philosophy “this-worldly” and “other-worldly”, elaborating on them in details. By comparison, as readers, we can clearly recognize the concepts and their main contents. Then, he explains that Chinese philosophy is the kind that lies in between, which is easier to understand.
In nutshell, his creative interpretation is full of reasoning, being highly convincing. More importantly, as a reader to say, it’s layman-friendly.
1. First, the foreigners suppose that Chinese people have no faith which usually means religious faith. And Chinese people seldom believe in religion. Foreigners believe in religion to pursue "moral values", while Chinese people are accustomed to obtaining this value from philosophy. Therefore, Chinese people are not very concerned about religion because its function has been replaced by Chinese philosophy.
Second, people often say that there are three religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. But Confucianism is not a religion. Taoism is a religion, and Buddhism is also a religion which comes from India.
2. Implicity. It is one of the greatest spirits of Chinese philosophy, characterized by its concise and insightful language.
The spirit of Chinese Philosophy is both of the world and the other world which avoids total realism and idealism. Chinese philosophy advocates that “sageliness within and kingliness without”. That is to say, people need not only cultivate his spirit world, but also concern himself with the business of the world. If that’s the case, he’s eligible to be called as sage, which is also the task of philosophy.
3. Feng Youlan is one of the few philosophers in modern China who was able to establish their own system, and his ideas hold an important position in the history of modern Chinese philosophy. In the spirit of Chinese Philosophy, he compiled an outline of the Hundred Schools of Thought in chronological order, reflecting his unique content arrangement and selection. Besides, he introduced Chinese philosophical concepts through the translation of Western classics and faithfulness, which is a top-level means of promoting Chinese culture. What's more, Feng Youlan creatively proposed the fusion viewpoint of "New Taoism" and "New Confucianism". Above all, I think professor Feng have a unique understanding of Chinese philosophy. It is very helpful to Chinese people learn about Chinese philosophy. Also, it is a magnificent bridge for foreigners to understand Chinese culture.
1. Misunderstanding:
Chinese philosophy to Chinese civilization has been regarded as religion to other civilizations.
As Confucianism permeating in the life of Chinese people, the Westerners see it as religion which they are immersed in. The westerners who have faith in religion always do some rituals, for example praying and going to the church weekly, to show their loyalty to the God. At most time only by practicing such special rites can they hold the canonical beliefs tightly. While the Chinese beg to the differ by treating Chinese philosophy as guidelines or teachings (the same as Platonism or Aristotelian-ism) that shape us a good man and instill us with kindness, loyalty, the spirit of resilience and the like. That’s the most noticeable and macro misunderstanding I can catch from the essay and my own thoughts.
Also from the micro perspective, Prof. Feng mentioned that the love of Chinese is different from that of the westerners. Influenced by Chinese philosophy including Confucianism, Chinese are prone to love a real and actual person in the world, who may be the families, teachers, friends or even an unfamiliar stranger, while the westerners have a kind of faithful love to the God, which is referred to as super-moral value.
2. The spirit of Chinese philosophy:
The spirit of Chinese philosophy I learned from the essay is about thinking. The educated Chinese are disposed to take the religion
The educated Chinese are disposed to thinking philosophically. They satisfy their craving for what is beyond the actual world to reach out for the value that are higher than the moral value, but it’s undeniable that starting points or the fundamentals are in the real world. That’s to say, Chinese shape the Chinese philosophy by observing the realistic world and then summarize the idealistic doctrine or rules in a philosophical way. So the Chinese who have the capacity of thinking philosophically are able to accomplish spiritual cultivation internally and behave themselves externally.
3. My comment:
My comment on Feng’s interpretation will mainly fall on the target group that Feng talked about, as he written “everyone learn philosophy...” and some sentences like that. When we talk about philosophy, Confucius, Mencius and other famous philosophers spring to our mind as they have inherited numerous precious works for us Chinese people. It’s clear to see that they all are educated so the question perplexing me is that, how about the uneducated or illiterate Chinese? The illiterate may have been covering a larger amount of population than the educated till this century. As they didn’t have the access to the original philosophy work like Analects of Confucius for lack of knowledge or other reasons, they are also influenced by Chinese philosophy through folk paroles or official policies. To some extent, they maybe don’t know the deep reason why they should act as that but only know they are expected or obliged to do so. So the question remaining is that, what roles do the illiterate play in Chinese philosophy?
①To the Westerners, the Confucianism is a religion for it permeated in Chinese people’s life.
②Chinese seems to be unconscious of those values which are higher than the moral ones because we don’t care about religion but the ethics, while religion is a way to realize the fundamental desires for many foreigners.
③There are many people who say that Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy.
2. The spirit of Chinse philosophy is to figure out how to accomplish a synthesis out of the antitheses of “this-worldiness” and “other-worldiness”, and to enable to develop the character of the sage— “the sageliness within and kingliness without”.
3. His conclusion is systematic and thought provoking, which has proposed unique insights on many philosophical and cultural issues.
On the one hand, he interpreted philosophy in simple and profound terms as “a systematic reflection on life”. This is different from the abstract definitions of philosophers such as Plato and Hegel, and is more life oriented and Chinese oriented. Thus, it perfectly explains how Chinese people maintain super-moral values while not believing in religion for philosophy satisfies their innate desire of mankind and instructs their behaviors. And from such a conclusion I learnt how important and urgent the philosophy is required in such a faith-absent era. Also, everyone has a need for super-moral values without realizing it.
On the other hand, Feng's description is structured, which systematically connects scattered points, giving a picture of the whole traditional Chinese philosophy; and his narration is vivid and limped by citing classics and allusions and comparing with the western philosophy.
Furthermore, he introduces Chinese philosophical concepts through the translation of Western classics, and follow the rule of faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. Only through a thorough comprehension of both Chinses and Western culture could Feng accurately translate Chinese philosophy in English and use the most familiar cultural concepts of Western culture to analogize Chinese philosophical concepts. This is a top-level means of promoting Chinese culture and the best Chinese cultural education for Westerners. For instance, the Confucious notion “内圣外王” was translated as “inner sageliness and outer kingliness”, while Plato believed in "The Republic" that philosophers of excellent birth who were not burdened by wealth and material possessions were called Philosophy king.
Though his idea is innovative and inspiring, I hold divergent opinion with some of his comments.
First is his boldly prediction of “philosophy substitutes for religion”. Though philosophy is purer and more scientific, it also has high requirements for its own intelligence and spiritual literacy, which not everyone can achieve, even in Chinese philosophy we had totemism. While religion is more direct and absolute, hence has a higher universality among the general public.
Another disagreement is also related to religion. Recalling the history, Feng reckons the relation of religion and science is wane and wax. While they are more like complement each other from my perspective. Einstein also said, "Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind." Although there are differences in content and even some inconsistencies between science and religion, this does not necessarily mean that science and religion are in a hostile state.
1.
(1)Westerners sees that Confucianism permeates every Chinese’s life, and they regard it as a religion.
(2)People have been accustomed to say that there were three religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism is not a religion. As to Taoism, there is a distinction between Taoism as a philosophy, which is called Tao chia (the Taoist school), and the Taoist religion (Tao chiao). Their teachings are contradictory. Taoism as a philosophy teaches the doctrine of following nature, while Taoism as a religion teaches the doctrine of working against nature. As to Buddhism, there is also the distinction between Buddhism as a philosophy, which is called Fo hsüeh (the Buddhist learning), and Buddhism as a religion, which is called Fo chiao (the Buddhist religion).
(3)One may think that Chinese people are an exception for they don’t have the craving for what is beyond the present actual world. The author explains that, the craving for something beyond the present actual world is one of the the innate desires of mankind, and the Chinese people are no exception to this rule. Because although they are not religious, they are philosophical.
(4)There are many people who say that Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy. However, Chinese philosophy cannot be understood by oversimplification of this kind. It is both this-worldly and other-worldly.
2.
Chinese philosophy attempts to accomplish a synthesis out of antitheses. And according to Chinese philosophy, the man who is able to unify the antitheses is the sage. The character of the sage is “sageliness within and kingliness without”, which is also the spirit of Chinese philosophy.
3.
Feng not only clears up quite a few misunderstandings about Chinese philosophy (religion versus philosophy), but also elaborates on the very essence of Chinese philosophy --- the Tao of sageliness within and kingliness without. This is the character of the sage, who is able to accomplish the synthesis both in theory and in deed. As far as I am concerned, this character itself is a synthetic concept. sageliness within represents the other-world part, kingliness the this-world part. Feng’s interpretation explains why Chinese philosophy always relates to politics, and at the same time, it is not wholly this-worldly. From my perspective, this interpretation of “sageliness within and kingliness without” also follows the doctrine of the mean. I assume it is a very Chinese way to interpret Chinese philosophy. Feng also compares the Tao of sageliness within and kingliness without to the Platonic theory of the philosopher, which reveals the common ground of different schools of philosophy.
1. Misunderstandings:
2. The spirit of Chinese philosophy is the synthesis of this-worldliness and other-worldliness. The former being extremely idealistic, the latter being extremely realistic, this spirit is to be practiced by the sage, who in this case bears the character of "sageliness within and kindliness without".
3. Comment:
Mr. Feng tried to make clear that Chinese philosophy, represented by Confucianism, is indeed a kind of philosophy rather than a religion. This job was successfully accomplished by making good use of comparisons and contrasts.
From a macro perspective, an analytical comparison of philosophy and religion was drawn, offering agreeable standards for the judgement of nature of Confucianism. From the micro perspective, a multidimensional comparison of Chinese philosophy and western philosophy including Aristotelianism in their tasks, ideas etc. unfolded, by which means western audience can set Chinese philosophy in place in their mindset.
It is noteworthy that these two analogies are interconnected, as Christianity itself is somewhat underpinned by the philosophy of Neoplatonism and Aristotelianism. This give the western outlook a chance to consider the Taoist school and the Taoist religion in a separate way.
Nonetheless, some questions still puzzle me after reading the text over and over again. The dominant one is as follows. Throughout the essay, the “Chinese philosophy” according to Mr. Feng seems to be the privilege of the minorities only, namely, the educated Chinese. This deduction comes from expressions such as “Philosophy is every educated Chinese’s concern” and“Philosophy is systematic”. The latter in my opinion claims an exclusivity of philosophy, which is to say only few Chinese could be philosophical. In this case, the argument that “Chinese people are not religious but philosophical” doesn’t sound that valid. Mr. Feng had pointed out that westerns believe the life of the Chinese people is permeated with Confucianism, however, I think it remains to be further discussed on the exclusivity of philosophy and extensiveness of it in the context of China.
What’s more, the element of “ritual” as one of the differentiating factors of religion from philosophy is a thought provoker. Because in Confucianism, especially during ancient times, we have all kinds of rites or “rituals”, which degenerated into the field of “customs” and we now have national ceremonies in worship of Confucius held every year, making it open to question whether “ritual” is also a part of Confucianism.
1、Misunderstanding:
· In the section "Place of Philosophy in Chinese Civilization", Prof. Feng Youlan has mentioned that to some westerners who sees the life of Chinese people is permeated with Confucianism, it seems that Confucianism is religion.
·Confucianism、Taoism, and Buddhism are three religions in China.（actually there are distinctions between Confucianism/Buddhism/Taoism as a philosophy and Confucianism/Buddhism/Taoism as a religion.
·(many westerners see that) Chinese people have been less concerned with religion than other people are.
·Chinese culture is ethics, not religion.( it seems to imply that Chinese are not conscious of those values which are higher than moral ones)
·the view that the function of philosophy, especially metaphysics is not the increase of positive knowledge.
·Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy (Chinese philosophy, regardless of its different schools of thought, is directly or indirectly concerned with government and ethics.)
The identification of the individual with the universe.(天人合一）
·objective comprehensive and complete
From the text, we can clearly see that Feng has developed a systemic model to develop his interpretation of Chinese Philosophy. He clarified his understanding on Chinese philosophy from different angles, using examples to analyse the essence of Chinese philosophy.
·fully-developed standpoints
Feng gave us a huge number of analysis to support what he wanted to express to readers. With some quotation to enrich his points, there is no doubt that he has shown us his comprehensive understandings.
To school oneself continually and persistently to that pure experience in which selfishness and egocntricity were transcended, so that he would be one with the universe.
Chinese philosophy is not simply a sort of intellectual game, but something far more serious.
1.Misunderstanding
Westerners think Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism are religions and Chinese people are permeated with them.and they make a surface of view that Chinese philosophy is only a this-world philosophy.
2.Spirit
Feng’s perspective is that Chinese philosophy is “sageliness within and kindliness without.”and the Chinese philosophy is to accomplish a synthesis out of those antitheses.
3.comment
I really appreciate Feng’s perspectives. Formerly,I have ambiguous understanding of Chinese philosophy,especially Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism.Now I know something about the distinction between religion and the three.They are ethics,not religion and they provide the spiritual basis of Chinese civilization.However,there is a flaw.If the essay use more data and examples to prove its points,it can be understood further and easier.
Misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy:
(1). Westerner keeps the point of vies that the life of Chinese people is permeated with Confucianism.They consider Confucianism as a religion.
(2).They think that Chinese philosophies like Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism are all religions.
(3).They trust that Chinese philosophy is only a this-world philosophy.This caused the fact that Chinese people have no craving for what is beyond the actual world.
2. Spirit
The spirit of Chinese philosophy is, as Prof. Feng mentioned: It is both of this world and of the other world.It is at one and the same time both extremely idealistic and extremely realistic, and very practical, though not in a superficial way.It is ''sageliness within and kingkiness without''.
3. My Comment
First of all, I appreciate Prof.Feng Youlan's justification and explanation of Chinese philosophy. Before reading, I only had a very vague understanding of traditional Chinese thought or philosophy. Realizing what kind of atmosphere of Chinese thought I have been permeated in, I do wish to know more.
At the beginning of the article, Professor Feng said that the Chinese do not care much about religion, because they are extremely concerned about philosophy. With the introduction of respectively Confucianism, Taoism and other philosophical schools, we can see clearly about the spirit of Chinese philosophy.The influence of Chinese philosophy on our own is imperceptible, as the professor said, Chinese people always use philosophy to open up. We absorb these ways of life in our unconscious learning. This consciousness moves me deeply.
1. (1) It has been an ingrained notion in The Westerners' minds that there are three religions in China: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.
(But in essence, Confucianism cannot be seriously taken as a religion. It's more like ethics that provide spiritual basis for Chinese people.)
(2)The Chinese people are less concerned with religion and religious ideas and activities do not constitute an essential and absorbing part of their lives, which implicitly reveals that Chinese people are not conscious of the super-moral values.
(But the truth is they frequently resort to philosophy, instead of religion, to satisfy their craving for what is beyond the present actual world and express and experience the super-moral values. )
(3)Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy but actually it's both of this-world and other-world.
(Actually it is in the meantime both extremely idealistic and extremely realistic, and very practical, though not in a superficial way. )
2. The spirit of Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world and it attempts to accomplish a synthesis out of the antitheses, which can only be achieved by the sage who have both "sageliness within and kindliness without".
3. In The Spirit of Chinese Philosophy, Feng Yulan present the readers with a more compendious and creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy. Feng touches upon the statue, problem and spirit of philosophy in Chinese civilization, in the process of which he clears up by comparisons and contrasts some misinterpretations on Chinese philosophy and proffers a multidimensional view of it.
From the statue, problem to spirit, Feng leads us into a more profound and precise thought of the essence and peculiarities of Chinese philosophy. For example, on one hand, he seeks the similarities and differences in the systems, basis, values and expressions of Chinese and western philosophy. On the other hand, he perfectly articulates the differences between the sage in Chinese philosophy, the buddha in Buddhism and the saints or gods in Christianity. In the process, he make a good use of examples such as Confucianism, Taoism, Plato and so on, which makes his viewpoint and argumentation more solid, detailed and provocative than the common sense.
The most intriguing part of his argumentation, for my part, is his insights into the Chinese and western versions of religion and philosophy. Feng looks at the two objectively with an respectful and analytical mind instead of deliberately ranking the two. I identify with Feng that ethics, or presumably philosophy are more likely to constitute the spiritual basis of Chinese civilization. Nevertheless, I remain suspicious of some of his concepts, especially when he remarks "The information given by religion is not in harmony with that given by science...When people get rid of religion and have no substitute, they also lose the higher values." But from my perspective, religion and philosophy are not a zero-sum game, and a human without either religion or philosophy(which can be taken as the exterior forces and inspirations) still have another access to higher values, in virtue of some interior impetus such as his grit, tenacity and determination, which I firmly believe is the most marvelous power of human. Just as David Farrell Krell writes in The Sea：A Philosophical Encounter, “The origin of religious beliefs is a special feeling that would never desert you, which is eternal and uncontrollable without limits like the sea.” And according to Romain Rolland, even if all religious rituals and ceremonies no longer exist, people can still claim to have religion "just by having this sea-like feeling". On this account, philosophy and religion shouldn’t be depicted as black and white and they are never the only two approaches a normal man can utilize to retain the higher values.
To generalize, Feng's interpretation of Chinese philosophy is of vital importance for its contribution in helping the world understand Chinese philosophy more squarely and fairly. In the new era, we majors should also inherit this spirit, fill the vacuum in the realm of Chinese philosophy and culture, and spread them to the world.
1.Religion is philosophy, and Chinese religion is Chinese philosophy
2.Chinese philosophy is a subset of Confucian classics, and Neo-Confucianism is the most realistic representation of Chinese philosophy
3.In ancient China, philosophy was not studied as a separate discipline, but was taught in a combination of texts or articles. Westerners do not see that there is a special teaching of philosophy in China and think that there is no philosophy in China. In fact, the western philosophical trend of thought had appeared in ancient China, and many philosophical questions had been answered in China thousands of years earlier than in the West. Especially three views and views on life, self and other issues.
1.misunderstanding:
（1）The Westerners believe that Confucianism is a religion. As a matter of fact, however, Confucianism is no more a religion than, say, Pla-tonism or Aristotelianism. Actually in the Four Books there is no story of creation, and no mention of a heaven or hell.
（2）At present it is known to many Westerners that the Chinese people have been less concerned with religion. And wasterners think the craving for what is beyond the present actual world is not one ofthe innate desires of mankind, so Chinese is an exception.
（3）Westerners believe that the function of philosophy is only the clarification of ideas, and that the nature of metaphysics is only a lyric of concepts.
(4)There are many people who say that Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy. It is difficult to state that these people are entirely
right or entirely wrong.
2.what is Chinese philosophy:
Philosophy is systematic, reflective thinking on life. Reflecting thinking is the thinking on
thinking. Before we start to think about life, we must first "think our thinking". What the
philosophers call the Universe is the totality of all that is.
Taoism as a philosophy teaches the doctrine of following nature; while Taoism as a religion
teaches the doctrine of working against nature.
It is ethics (especially Confucian ethics) and not religion (at least not religion of a formal,
organized type) that provided the spiritual basis in Chinese civilization.
In the tradition of Chinese philosophy, there is a distinction between working on learning and working on Tao. The purpose of the former is the increase of positive knowledge; that of the latter is the elevation of the mind. Chinese philosophy belongs to the latter category.
The highest achievement of a sage is the identification of the individual with the Universe.
Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world.
This-worldliness and other-worldliness stand in contrast to each other as do idealism and realism. The task of Chinese philosophy is to accomplish a synthesis out of these antitheses.
Chinese sage in Chinese philosophy: sageliness within and kingliness without. In his inner sageliness, he accomplishes spiritual cultivation. In his kingliness without, he functions in society.
Philosophy is not simply something to be known, but is also something to be experiment.
Philosophy is a system of precepts internal to the conduct of the philosopher.
Suggestiveness is the ideal of all Chinese art, whether it be poetry, painting, or anything else.
3.comments:
I used to think that philosophy was far away from me, and that it was something for philosophers to discuss. But after reading chapter 1, I knew that philosophy is life. As Feng Youlan's daughter Zong Pu said, "I often think that this book is like the magic pill that Laojun practiced, and after melting, the volumous annals of history can be condensed and swallowed in one bite!" This book does.
Feng Youlan has a unique framework for Chinese philosophy, from which I understood that the study of Chinese philosophy is to find reasons at a deep level, is the internal logical force of the development of Chinese civilization, and is the guide of the Chinese spirit. If we have this kind of thinking, we will understand a lot of Chinese history and social phenomena. For example, Feng Youlan mentioned Chinese sage: "sageliness within and kingliness without. In his inner sageliness, he accomplishes spiritual cultivation." Therefore, one of Confucian propositions come out: "self-cultivation, family harmony, governance, peace of the world". From Feng Youlan's narration, I understood that philosophical ideas come from life. Only through continuous improvement of the spiritual realm can we dynamically unify the truth, goodness and beauty in life and experience the beauty in life.
1. Misunderstanding:
They think Chinese philosophy equals religion.
2. Spirit of Chinese philosophy:
It lies between this-worldliness and other-worldliness which avoids total realism and idealism. That is to say, we need not only cultivate our spirit world, but also concern ourselves with the business of the world.
3. Comments:
I really appreciate Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy, which is systemic and thought-provoking. To be honest, I used to know very little about Chinese philosophy, and I cannot distinguish Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism from religion. But now I know something about the distinction between religion and the three. They are ethics, not religion, and they provide the spiritual basis of Chinese civilization.
1. They think Confucianism is a religion.
2.According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world, which can be described as one of "sageliness within and kingliness without", about how to accomplish a synthesis out of the antitheses of “this-worldiness” and “other-worldiness”.
3.What Feng refers to as "Chinese philosophy" seems to be the privilege of only a few people, namely educated Chinese. This inference comes from statements such as "philosophy is the concern of every educated Chinese" and "philosophy is systematic." In my opinion, the latter advocates the exclusivity of philosophy, that is, only a minority of Chinese are philosophical. In this context, the argument that "the Chinese are not a religion but a philosophy" does not sound very tenable. Mr. Feng has pointed out that Westerners think Chinese life is permeated by Confucianism, but I think the exclusivity and universality of philosophy in the Chinese context is subject to further discussion.
1.What is freedom?
According to the video on Kant's idea of Justice，we can draw a conclusion:obeying our desires or to act according to the law of nature is “heteronomous”，while freedom is the opposite of that，and we call it “autonomous”.Kant thought that freedom is to act freely and act according to a law I give myself. People are able to exercise their rights and pursue their objectives without external hindrance.
2.Why does the traditional Chinese society's economic and political structure need "Ritual"?
According to “Maritime Countries and Continental Countries”on page 24，we know：In political structure，traditional China，compared with Greece (city state)，is the family state.Its social organization is automatic and the authority of the father is naturally superior to that of son. So that traditional China needs ritual to maintain and protect the hierarchy.
In economy，traditional China is a Continental country.People had less opportunity than people of Maritime country to see different people and different customs，so they were not accustomed to change and had no desire for it .Therefore，they need ritual to satisfy themselves so that they don't need to change.
3.Why did the Hellenistic tradition in Western culture give rise to metaphysics and monotheism?
The Hellenistic tradition in Western culture has a profound influence.It stimulated the development of metaphysics. This philosophical trend guided individuals beyond sensory experiences to seek higher truths. Simultaneously, the religious beliefs in the Hellenistic tradition laid the foundation for monotheism, concentrating faith in a single deity and emphasizing the universe's order and unity.
Therefore，I don't think that Confucius is in line with inhumanity. Russell's suggestion of inhumanity might stem from a limited view of Confucianism or a specific interpretation of rituals. Because we have different backgrounds and Russell didn't stay for a long time in China. It would be an oversimplification and a misinterpretation to conclude that Confucius is in line with inhumanity solely based on the short-term understanding.Confucius advocated for the harmonious coexistence of individuals within a society, emphasizing empathy, compassion, and the well-being of others. Also he encourages a balanced approach that incorporates both ethical principles and humanistic values, aiming for a harmonious and virtuous society.So，I don't agree with that view.
Chinese philosophy in Chinese civilization has been comparable to the religion in other civilizations. Some Westerners regard Confucianism as a religion in China.
The spirit of Chinese philosophy is self-improvement, seeking truth from facts, dialectical thinking, people-oriented, inner transcendence, and tolerance. The development process can be summarised into three stages: the foundation period, the development period and the peak period. The basic problem of Chinese philosophy is the relationship between man and nature. The combination of man and nature is the unique philosophical thinking mode of Chinese philosophy. It introduces the basic contents of Chinese philosophy from the aspects of cosmology, ontology, ideological methodology, knowledge and action, values, etc., and reveals the unique national character, way of thinking, cognitive structure and values of the Chinese nation.
Feng Youlan once said:
"Everyone, as long as he is not dead, is in life. But there are not many people who have reflective thoughts about life, and fewer people have systematic reflective thoughts.
Reflection is actually very valuable.
Most of the pain in our life is not how difficult the outside world is. Many times, we are unwilling to "let ourselves go" for various reasons.
The "reconciliation with yourself" in Zhongzhe is not a negative self-abandonment, but to keep thinking in "reflection" to solve one "pimple after another". When we see the "real essence" of things, many problems are not so complicated, and it is much easier to deal with and deal with them.
①To the Westerners, the Confucianism is a religion for it permeated in Chinese people’s life.
②Chinese seems to be unconscious of those values which are higher than the moral ones because we don’t care about religion but the ethics, while religion is a way to realize the fundamental desires for many foreigners.
③There are many people who say that Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy.
2. The spirit of Chinse philosophy is to figure out how to accomplish a synthesis out of the antitheses of “this-worldiness” and “other-worldiness”, and to enable to develop the character of the sage— “the sageliness within and kingliness without”.
3. His conclusion is systematic and thought provoking, which has proposed unique insights on many philosophical and cultural issues.
On the one hand, he interpreted philosophy in simple and profound terms as “a systematic reflection on life”. This is different from the abstract definitions of philosophers such as Plato and Hegel, and is more life oriented and Chinese oriented. Thus, it perfectly explains how Chinese people maintain super-moral values while not believing in religion for philosophy satisfies their innate desire of mankind and instructs their behaviors. And from such a conclusion I learnt how important and urgent the philosophy is required in such a faith-absent era. Also, everyone has a need for super-moral values without realizing it.
On the other hand, Feng's description is structured, which systematically connects scattered points, giving a picture of the whole traditional Chinese philosophy; and his narration is vivid and limped by citing classics and allusions and comparing with the western philosophy.
Furthermore, he introduces Chinese philosophical concepts through the translation of Western classics, and follow the rule of faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. Only through a thorough comprehension of both Chinses and Western culture could Feng accurately translate Chinese philosophy in English and use the most familiar cultural concepts of Western culture to analogize Chinese philosophical concepts. This is a top-level means of promoting Chinese culture and the best Chinese cultural education for Westerners. For instance, the Confucious notion “内圣外王” was translated as “inner sageliness and outer kingliness”, while Plato believed in "The Republic" that philosophers of excellent birth who were not burdened by wealth and material possessions were called Philosophy king.
Though his idea is innovative and inspiring, I hold divergent opinion with some of his comments.
First is his boldly prediction of “philosophy substitutes for religion”. Though philosophy is purer and more scientific, it also has high requirements for its own intelligence and spiritual literacy, which not everyone can achieve, even in Chinese philosophy we had totemism. While religion is more direct and absolute, hence has a higher universality among the general public.
Another disagreement is also related to religion. Recalling the history, Feng reckons the relation of religion and science is wane and wax. While they are more like complement each other from my perspective. Einstein also said, "Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind." Although there are differences in content and even some inconsistencies between science and religion, this does not necessarily mean that science and religion are in a hostile state.
1. What misunderstanding about Chinese philosophy does Prof. Feng Youlan bring up in the article?
* The western sinologists mistakenly reckoned Chinese philosophy, which mainly comprising three schools which are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism as the counterparts of their religions. One of the causes of this is their neglection of the disparity between Taoism and Tao chia, also Buddhism and Fo Chia. Another reason for their misunderstanding is their religion-oreinted mindset.
2. What is the spirit of Chinese philosophy according to Feng?
* Striving for the reconciliation and synthesis between this-worldly philosophy and other-worldly one, which are in two extremes.
3. How do you comment on Feng's creative interpretation of Chinese philosophy?
* Objective mindset: evading hasty conclusion and jumping on the bandwagon. When delving into the other-worldly philosophy and this-wordly philosophy, Feng insightfully believe Chinese philosophy is a synthesis of them.
* Fully supported standpoints. Whenever stating a viewpoint from oneside, a valid quotation or supporting detail is presented, not only elaborating the argument crystal clear, but also being informative.
* Clarifying the problems by tracing intrinsic similarities. Although Chinese philosophy is dominated by this-worldly and other wordly schools, their radical intention is pointed out——the involvement of political ideology.
1. Misunderstanding
①Prof. Feng said that the Four Books have been the Bible of the Chinese people. Although he added that there is no mention of heaven or hell in the Four Books, it may also leave a superficial mislead to Westerners that the Four Books contain some religion.
②He brought up an opinion that Chinese philosophy's function is not the increase of positive knowledge but the elevation of the mind. This may also result in a misunderstanding that Chinese philosophy does not care about positive knowledge.
③Chinese philosophy is a this-world philosophy.
2. According to Feng, the spirit of Chinese philosophy is both of this world and of the other world, which can be described as one of "sageliness within and kingliness without".
3. My comment
Generally speaking, Prof. Feng had given a clearer description and interpretation of Chinese philosophy to Westerners at that time, by mentioning and comparing both Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy. But there are also some misunderstandings. These may have been influenced by the era and environment at that time.
Besides, some opinions lack proof. For example, he said that the Chinese people take even their religion philosophically, but there are no detailed examples to prove in the following text.
In short, Prof. Feng's interpretation is of great significance to both Westerners and Chinese people, and for the current research and dissemination of Chinese philosophy, it is still necessary to continue moving forward.
1.Misunderstanding
Westerners think Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism are religions and Chinese people are permeated with them.and they make a surface of view that Chinese philosophy is only a this-world philosophy.
2.Spirit
Feng’s perspective is that Chinese philosophy is “sageliness within and kindliness without.”and the Chinese philosophy is to accomplish a synthesis out of those antitheses.
3.comment
I really appreciate Feng’s perspectives. Formerly,I have ambiguous understanding of Chinese philosophy,especially Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism.Now I know something about the distinction between religion and the three.They are ethics,not religion and they provide the spiritual basis of Chinese civilization.However,there is a flaw.If the essay use more data and examples to prove its points,it can be understood further and easier.
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